And so it ends, the year of going back to 'normal'

Another year, thankful for it I think.  The year we thought we would go back to normal.  And so it was for a while, like when a car engine stutters but keeps running.  

Things have definitely changed at work and education, if not in how we relate to each other.  We could say, with some evidence, that we are now more careful and understanding.  We know that if things do not happen, there might be a reason.  And if we still do not understand, then we can all say "because of Covid".

Normality does not look like it used to be.  Even in a classroom with students, I feel that care is now paramount.  Our brains might be elsewhere as we are now allowed to check social media more than before.  Maybe it is because we are being part of different universes that were supposed to keep us afloat.  Or maybe it is because education has also gone hybrid, allowing for face to face and online interactions.  Welcome to the physical classroom those who cannot be here but can connect online, for whatever reason.  

Welcome also our desire to spend more time elsewhere, dreaming of trips that did not happen, or staying at home with loved ones for more time than before.  Welcome busier life in cafes or shopping malls.  Welcome a new attic or room in the house, hosting parents and children alike.  Welcome those meetings that we still "go" to, welcome the presence that in many cases we can shape, and in others the one we are shaped by.  

Welcome to life with viruses and absences, curfews and defiance, standards and values we drop whilst we create new ones.  Welcome creativity to a new scenario, where we would need to be valued by just maintaining things we value and not succumbing in the attempt.  Perhaps we were asking too much of ourselves, our work and our planet.  Perhaps we were deluded thinking that that was what we needed to do in order to prove our worth or just live our lives.  

Our new normal is far from certain, and this is something that perhaps we are not used to accept.  We still have some opportunities to shape it.  And if that does not motivate us enough for next year, let us think of what we have so far, what we have been able to do despite everything. Let us think of what we can do every day, from waking up to taking a shower or just go out for a walk.  Let us think of people who depend on us, and people we depend on.  We all deserve a new normal, more humane and caring, less busy or pretentious.   

And so it ends...